This is the true story of scientific child prodigy, and former baby genius, Ainan Celeste Cawley, written by his father. It is the true story, too, of his gifted brothers and of all the Cawley family.
I write also of child prodigy and genius in general: what it is, and how it is so often neglected in the modern world. As a society, we so often fail those we should most hope to see succeed: our gifted children and the gifted adults they become.
Site Copyright: Valentine Cawley, 2006 +

Friday, August 31, 2012

Self-deprecating humour of a child prodigy.

Some able people praise themselves, a few
others do what Ainan does: be self-deprecating.

About a month ago, Ainan remarked: “If people learn from their mistakes, I must
be the most knowledgeable person in the world.”

He smiled at the end, and snorted a little laugh.
His eyes twinkled at me.

I laughed with him.

Now, it must be said that this is Ainan’s
style – to underplay or downplay himself. It must also be said that his remark
is not true – for he does not make an unusual number of mistakes, in fact, he
seems to make many fewer than most. Yet, this remark of his, is certainly
typical of the way he refers to himself. He is even able to bring humour into
how he describes himself.

I suppose that this self-deprecating humour
of his may actually endear him to people. There is nothing more irritating than
someone who spends their days boasting about themselves. By the same measure,
there is something disarming about someone who downplays their many
achievements and abilities and even speaks of them in a humorous way.

I do worry sometimes, though, that Ainan is
a little too self-deprecating, on occasion. It makes me wonder whether he is
actually being humorous – or, in fact, cannot see himself as he is, in relation
to others. I think a clear vision of one’s place in the world and relation to
others, is most helpful in guiding one’s choices in life. I do hope that Ainan’s
tendency to self-deprecate won’t get in the way of that.

Having said that, Ainan’s approach will
probably win him more friends than the opposite tack would garner. He is not
one to push people away with a massive ego...he simply doesn’t have one. If
anything he has the opposite of an ego. He is a quiet boy, who does not impose
a self-image on the world, but holds it in reserve. When he speaks of himself, it
is occasionally to disarm what others might think of him. He also manages to do
it with humour. Indeed, humour is one of his more notable characteristics and
it leaks into most areas of his life. He even began to make scientific jokes as
early as six years old – but that is another tale.

I like this new wittiness that I see
growing in Ainan. He has become a fashioner of one-liners. Most of them are not
self-deprecating however, and are neutral in content. I shall keep an eye on
the self-deprecating side of him, though, because I would not like to see that
become too dominant. It is dangerous to do that too much – for one day the
person uttering such lines, might come to believe in them – and that wouldn’t
be healthy.

In the meantime, I shall enjoy Ainan’s
spontaneous humour and learn from the glimpses it reveals, of how he thinks
about himself, and the world.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

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2 Comments:

I think that it is remarkable that Ainan is able to keep such a level head and exhibit such modesty when referring to his intellect! Just shows that on top of it all he is a good person as well as a smart one!

Also I saw a recent video on Ainan on YouTube, it was partially in Malaysian and the news caster said your name was Muhammad Valentine Cawley, was that a mistake or did you change your name? Just curious :)

Thank you for your kind words regarding Ainan. He is certainly "level-headed" and shows no risk, AT ALL, of developing an "ego".

I am not sure which broadcast you are referring to - but my preferred name is Valentine Cawley. I am living in a country with its own unique culture and expectations. I haven't changed my name, but here, my preferred name, is not always others' preferred name, for me.

Thank you Summer for seeing Ainan's goodness so clearly. I think he is likely to be more accepted because of his way, than he would have been otherwise.

This is the true story of scientific child prodigy, and former baby genius, Ainan Celeste Cawley, written by his father. It is the true story, too, of his gifted brothers and of all the Cawley family.
I write also of child prodigy and genius in general: what it is, and how it is so often neglected in the modern world. As a society, we so often fail those we should most hope to see succeed: our gifted children and the gifted adults they become.
Site Copyright: Valentine Cawley, 2006 +

About Me

As a child, I had many gifts...perhaps too many - and this leads to the characteristic problem many gifted children face: what to do, when there is so much you COULD do. I resolved the issue by doing each of them serially throughout my life. I had gifts in science, writing, art, music, acting and academia...and so my life has demonstrated each of these, at some time. However, in the modern world, those who specialize, and focus all their efforts on one thing, tend to win through. In the light of this I have written two books, which are being prepared for publication.
I was a child in a time when being gifted was not something people spoke about: it was not a widely recognized situation - at least not in my background. Nothing special was done therefore, to help. It is my wish that all in that position, these days, receive the support that is needed, to become the best they can be.
I have been an actor, a writer of two books, a government physicist, at age 17, the founding editor of an Arts magazine, at 22, and a performance artist whose work was covered by CNN (interviewer: Richard Blystone) and Reuters. However, my greatest achievement is to have fathered three sons.